Effects Of Acupuncture On Microcirculatory Blood Flow And Transporting Function Of Endothelial Cells In Hippocampal CA1 Region In MCAO Rats

Objectives: In order to provide experimental and theoretical evidence for the treatment of cerebral ischemic disease with acupuncture, the influence of acupuncture on neuronal injury, microcirculatory blood flow and transporting function of microvascular endothelial cells in hippocampal CA1 region in MCAO rats was studied.Methods: Focal cerebral ischemia was produced with middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) in Wistar rats. Electroacupuncture therapeutic equipment (G6805-2A) was used to stimulate Neiguan. The change of microcirculatory blood flow in hippocampal CA1 region was simultaneously monitored by laser-Doppler Flow meter (LFD) on the fifteenth, thirtieth days. The content of glutamic acid, lactic acid, pyruvic acid, Ca2+ in brain tissue and the glucose in cortex, hippocampus, thalamus and other brain regions were analyzed using measuring kit respectively. The changes of glucose in blood were detected with Blood Glucose Meter. The morphological changes of hippocampal neurons were observed in paraffin slice with HE staining. The expression of GLUT-1 and MDR1-encoded P-gp in cerebral microvascular endothelial cells in hippocampal CA1 region was observed with the method of immunohistochemisty assay through image processing tool-Image Pro Plus.Results: Microcirculatory blood flow in hippocampal CA1 region in MCAO rats was obviously increased after acupuncture at Neiguan acupoint, this effects were more obvious as the increase of days of acupuncture. Acupuncture could reduce the content of glutamic acid, lactic acid, Ca2+and lactate / pyruvate ratio, increase the content of pyruvate in brain tissue and the glucose in cortex, hippocampus, thalamus and other brain regions and blood glucose. Acupuncture at Neiguan could increase numbers of microvassels in hippocampal CA1 region and promote repairment of nerve cells. The results of Immunohistochemisty assay showed that acupuncture at Neiguan could significantly improve expressing quantity of GLUT-1 in microvascular endothelial cells in hippocampal CA1 region in MCAO rats; MDR1-encoded P-gp in the brain after ischemia showed time-dependent increase, its expression significantly increased after acupuncture.Conclusions: Acupuncture could improve microcirculatory blood flow in hippocampal CA1 region in MCAO rats; Acupuncture could up-regulate the expression of GLUT1 and MDR1-encoded P-gp in cerebral microvascular endothelial cells to mitigate neuronal injury after cerebral ischemia; Acupuncture could improve the transporting function of endothelial cells. As GLUT-1 and P-gp were demonstrated the partly transporting function, effects of acupuncture on endothelial cells need to be studied deeply in multi-angle and multi-level.